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Women should be educated about tampons so they can make an informed choice about their use, a charity has claimed.Speaking ahead of National Tampon Awareness Week, Peter Kilvert, a spokesman for Alive Kilvert Tampon Alert (AKTA), said that women should have a free choice with regard to sanitary protection, but that they should be aware of the potential risk of toxic shock syndrome (TSS).According to Mr Kilvert, TSS occurs when the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus produces a toxin that spreads through the bloodstream, overpowering the immune system and attacking the body's organs.Half of all known cases of TSS occur in women using tampons as rayon in the tampon reacts with the bacteria, prompting the toxin's release.'We get women contacting us when they've suffered TSS saying that they had never heard of it,' Mr Kilvert revealed.'It's essential that women know what the symptoms are, and if they get any of the symptoms they are to remove the tampon straight away and monitor themselves or get someone else to monitor them to see that the symptoms don't increase.'The early symptoms of TSS include a headache and sore throat, muscle ache, high temperature, vomiting and diarrhoea, dizziness, a sunburn-like rash or very low blood pressure.